Engine reverse-gear



E. ZBINDEN.'

ENGINE REVERSE GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED mus. 1911.

PatentedSept. 14

UNITED STATES- EUGEN ZBINDEN, or BERN, SWITZERLAND, AssIeNon. 'ro' BUSOH-SULZER Bnos- DIESEL ENGINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS,

SOUR!- MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MIS- ENGINE REVERSE-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pqthted Spt. 14, 1920;

Application filed May a, 1917. Serial in. 166,129.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGEN ZBINDEN, a citizen of Switzerland, residing in Bern, Blumenbergstrasse 39, Switzerland, have invented the following described Improve- 'ments in Engine Reverse-Gears.

The invention relates to reversible internal combustion engines of the fuel-injected type, having starting and fuel valvesand a valve gear-system with its control divided into two branches, one for changing over from air to combustion-running and for stopping, and the other for reversing; and it' comprises a simple form of interlocking safety device and its combination with the valve gear system'whereby the first control except when in neutral position bars the second against movement within the reversing limits, and the second, when within said limits, blocks the change from air to combustion running, or vice versa, the purpose being to guard against danger resulting from an improper sequence of the functions of the organization, as will be well understood.

The first branch of. control has one fulcrum shaft for every cylinder or group of cylinders by which the valve gear of the said cylinder or group of cylinders is set to position stop or air starting or combustion running. These three conditions correspond to a certain middle position of the shaft and to either one of two other extreme positions, the latter being to the right and the left of the said middle position. i

The second branch of control is likewise rotatable on a fulcrum shaft and can be moved within a certain angle. Every position within two extreme sectors of the racertain maximum lift of the'valves thereby actuated. One of these sectors corresponds tothe engine running forward, the other to the engine running backward. Consequently if the shaft is turned into such a position that the radius of the geometric axis passes from one to the other of the two sectors, the running of the engine is changed from forward to backward or vice versa. The object of the invention is. to provide a device which prevents the second branch of control to move from the ahead sector to the astern sector as long as the first branch of control is not in the stop position. This device further prevents the fulcrum shaft or shafts of the first branch of control moving out of the stop posi'-' t1on as long as the shaft of the second branch of control stands within the range of reversing limits:

The annexed drawings show two desi us of this interlocking arrangement. T ey refer to valve gears of motors with two groups of cylinders, each of these groups being provided with .an independent first branch of control. Only the shafts of the middle position. I

3 is a part al plan view. I w Fig. 4 gives a side view of another ar-J range'ment where the shafts of the two branches of control are arranged at a greater distance from each other.

In these figures the two' shafts of the' first branch of control are marked by. 6.

Each of these shafts 6 carries a hand lever 7 solidly fixed by a key. The levers may be ut in position I (stop), II (air startand III (combustion running). 1 denotes the shaft of thesecond branch of control which is common to all the cylinders-or groups of cylinders andis'mQVed by means of hand wheel 2 and worm ear 3 and-4 within theangle -IVVII.' ectors IVV and VI-VII indicate the range of the two regulating zones of which one corresponds backward. Between ra'dius V-VI lies the zones of reversing of the direction of rotation.

The cylinder marked 11 may be understood to represent one of the cylinders of a Diesel or similar type of engine, and

ated, for maneuvering, by compressed air, and 13 represents the starting valve for the admission of the starting air at such times.

to running forward, the other to running.

the valve 12 its usual fuel injection valve. Such engines are started and oper In the particular form of gearing for which the invention is more especially designed, these two valves are operated by rockers 14 and 14c journaled on bearings 15, these hearings being arranged eccentrically upon the shaft 6, which may itself be turned in supports 16 or otherwise, by means of the handle, 7 attached to it, for the purpose of shifting the fulcrum axes of the rockers. In the position shown in Fig. l the axes of both rockers are out of operative relation to their'respective valves so that neither of the latter is in action and the engine is consequently at rest or turning over merely by its momentum. When the handle is moved to the position II, however, the rocker axes are shifted so that rocker 14 may operate the starting -valve, the fuel valve rocker being out of action upon its value,/while movement to position III removes rocker14 from operat- 1n brmq's rocker 14 into active relation with the fuel valve.

The drawings show the rockers as operated by a du lex cam mechanism comprisin a pair of cams 17 and 18 for the fuel ya ve and a pair 17 and 18f for the air valve, the members of each pair being placed side by side upon a cam shaft 19 and arranged to operate their respective valves throughpush-links 20 and 20, respectively. Each link carries two cam-rollers, for the pair of cams that operate it, one roller for each cam. The active portions of the cams 17 and 17 are so arranged with reference to the angular position of the cam shaft as to be suited for operating their valves in, say, a forward direction of engine running and the similar portions of cams 1S and 18 are arranged for the opposite direction, and for such purposes the cam-rollers 21 and 21 occupy offset positions on their respective links, with respect to the rollers 22 and 22, so that by swinging the'link (on its pivotal con nection with its valve rocker), either set of cam rollers may be brought into the range of action of its corresponding cams, the other set being simultaneously removed from the range of its cams. Such swinging or shifting of the push-links is affected by the second rock-shaft 1, operated by the hand-wheel 2, as for instance through the worm 3 and worm segment 4, and connected with the push-links 20, 20 by arms 23, 23 and pivotal links 24 and 24:, respectively.

The safety provisions include an arm 5 fixed to the rock-shaft 1 and having a looking portion 9 preferably directed outwardly or perpendicular to the plane of its arc; and the member with which it cooperates to produce the desired interlock is a rotary 'gate I or obstruction formed on or securedtto' each of the shafts 6, and being desirably constirelation to the starting valve and notched end 8 of said shaft and disposed in the arc of movement of the contact or locking element 9. The parts are so proportioned and arranged that when the first control effected by handle 7, is in the engine stopping position of Fig. 1, the gate 8 allows the element 9 to pass freely by it or through the notch, while when said control is in either of positions II or III such movement is obstructed. Thus the second control cannot be shifted from the position of forward running to astern or vice-versa,

until the first control is brought to neutral.

At all suchtimes, however, the second control effected by hand wheel 2, may be operated to shift the contact member toward and from the barrier to an extent which, while insuflicient to effect reversing, serves to vary the action of the valves in the manner already described.

Moreover, during the act of reversal of the push links, the locking element 9 being within slot 8, the first control is thereby blocked against movement and the handle 7 cannot therefore be moved from its new tral position until reversal has been com- -'acter a the locking element 9" is mounted upon a rod 10 guided slidably in bearings 30 and constituting a jointed extension of the arm 5. The principles of construction and operation, it will be apparent, are simllar to those of the other embodiment.

What isclaimed as new is: 1. In an lnternal combustion englne, the

combination with valves serving for airstarting and combustion-running, respectively, valve gearing for operating the same, a first control active'upon said gearing to cause the operation of one or other or neither of said valves, and a second control for adjusting said gearing for forward or backward running, of a swinging contact member connected with the second control,

anda rotary gateunited with the first control and constructed to prevent operation of the second control within the reversing limits except when the first control is in neutral position and further to prevent the first control or parts thereof belng turned into position air starting or combustion running as" long as the second branch of control is in the zone of reversing.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with valves serving for airstarting and combustion-running, respectively, of a suitable operating gear, two oscillatory controls and a safety device comprising a swinging arm connected with one shaft controlling the rockers, mechanlsm of the controls and a rotary gate on the other control adapted for mutually interlocking with the swinging arm to prevent joint operation.

3. Inan internal combustion engine, the combination with fuel and starting valves, a valve gear, means for setting s'aid valves into and out of action comprising a shaft provided with a passage, a reversing shaft operative upon said valve gear, and an arm connected with said reversing shaft and adapted to pass through said passage only when the first shaft is in neutral position and which prevents the shaft of the first control being turned out of its neutral position as long as a portion of the arm is in mesh with the first branch of control.

4. In an internal combustion-engine, the combination with fuel and starting valves,

' a valve gear, means for setting said valves into and out of action comprising a shaft having a gate upon its end, a reversing shaft operative upon said gear, and an arm connected with said reversing shaft and having a laterally projecting locking member adapted to pass said gate only when the first shaft is in neutral position and which prevents the shaft of the first branch of control being turned out of its neutral position as long as the interlockingportions are in conjunction.

5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with valves serving for air starting and combustion-running, respectively, and valve gearing for operating the same, of a first control operative upon said gearing to cause the operation of one or other or neither of said valves, a second control for adjusting said gearing for forward or backward running, and an interlock constructed to prevent operation of the second control within the reversing limits exceptwhen the first control is in the neutral position and further to prevent the first control or. parts thereof being turned into position air starting or combustion running as long as the second 1) 'anch of control is in the zone of reversing.

6. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with valves serving for airstarting and combustion-running, respectlvely, Valve-rockers therefor, a starting, combustlon-runnmg and stopplng control comprising duplex cams and cam-rollers for operating each of the rockers, and a second control shaft'connected to shift the duplex cam-rollersfor forward or backward runinto position air starting or combustion f running as long as the second branch of control is in the zone of reversing.

7 In an internal combustion engine, the combination with fuel and starting valves, a valvegcar, a divided control acting upon a portion of the valve gear to place said valves'into and out of action, said control comprising two substantially alined shafts, and another control shaft connected with the valve gear to effectv reversal, of an arm connected with the reversing control operative between the proximate portions of the shafts, and gates upon said alined shafts, both of which must be in neutral position to permit the passage of the arm.

' 8. In an internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of groups of cylinders, the combination with fuel and starting valves foreach cylinder, and valve gearing, of a divided control acting upon a portion of the valve gearing to place said valves selectively into and out of action, said control comprising a stopping, starting and combustion-running shaft for each group of cylinders, another control shaft common to both groups of cylinders and connected with the valve gearing to effect reversal, and interlocking elements connected with the stopping, starting and combustion running shafts and with the common reversing shaft, respectively, whereby the said divided control may not be operated as long as the reversing shaft is in the zone of reversing and whereby, further, the reversing shaft may be operated only when both shafts of the divided control are in neutral position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

' EUGEN ZBINDEN. 

